Xplode from CD

[BritishBulldog]

this might be a daft question but can you run the app directly from a cd?

i only see entries in the xplode.xml as %systemdrive% none as %CDROM%

[BritishBulldog]

managed to do it.

got all my apps installing straight from DVD without copying to HDD

If anyone is interested i will post details

[Vel Straty]

Yes! I would like to see the great work!

pls it with us!

[BritishBulldog]

Ok its nothing spectacular but it works.

because XPlode.xml does not understand %CDROM% there had to be a way of getting this info before XPlode.exe started.

my DVD was built up as below in the picture, all my programs are in an install directory direct on the root and not in %OEM% so they dont get copied the the hard drive.

The main problem is getting the %CDROM%, so out of my cmdlines.txt i call up a findcd.cmd before XPlode is started.

cmdlines.txt

[COMMANDS]
"konten.cmd"
"findcd.cmd"
".\$1\Install\XPlode\XPlode.exe /xml:#Systemdrive#\Install\XPlode\XPlode.xml /log:#Systemdrive#\XPlode.log"

the findcd.cmd contains the routine to find the CD/DVD

findcd.cmd

cmdow @ /HID
@echo off

IF EXIST D:\CD.txt set CDROM=D
IF EXIST E:\CD.txt set CDROM=E
IF EXIST F:\CD.txt set CDROM=F
IF EXIST G:\CD.txt set CDROM=G
IF EXIST H:\CD.txt set CDROM=H
IF EXIST I:\CD.txt set CDROM=I
IF EXIST J:\CD.txt set CDROM=J
IF EXIST K:\CD.txt set CDROM=K
IF EXIST L:\CD.txt set CDROM=L
IF EXIST M:\CD.txt set CDROM=M
IF EXIST N:\CD.txt set CDROM=N
IF EXIST O:\CD.txt set CDROM=O
IF EXIST P:\CD.txt set CDROM=P
IF EXIST Q:\CD.txt set CDROM=Q
IF EXIST R:\CD.txt set CDROM=R
IF EXIST S:\CD.txt set CDROM=S
IF EXIST T:\CD.txt set CDROM=T
IF EXIST U:\CD.txt set CDROM=U
IF EXIST V:\CD.txt set CDROM=V
IF EXIST W:\CD.txt set CDROM=W
IF EXIST X:\CD.txt set CDROM=X
IF EXIST Y:\CD.txt set CDROM=Y
IF EXIST Z:\CD.txt set CDROM=Z


REGEDIT /S %CDROM%\install\CDROM\%CDROM%.reg

ok it can be shortened. when the CD drive is found then the coresponding .reg file is put into the registry through the last line.

so if the CD/DVD was at f: then F.reg would be loaded to the registry, if it was g: the g.reg is loaded.

I am sure there is another way of doing this without all the .reg files.

F.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\CD]
"CDROM"="F:"

G.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\CD]
"CDROM"="G:"

all that is needed now is that XPlode.xml calls up the value from the registry.

this is done before my first application is installed, the routine is below called Preparing CD ROM.

- <item display="Preparing CD ROM">
  <registry display="Reading CDROM" method="read" hive="HKLM" key="Hardware" item="CD" variable="CDROM" /> 
  </item>

So now instead of having everything copied to the hard drive they will install from the CD/DVD saving time.

my XPlode.xml is below, it is not finished I am still having problems with the 'filecopy' and 'dircopy' so if any of you can give me tips they are appreciated.

MS Office , Paintshop and WinAmp dont work at the moment but the others all do.

[BritishBulldog]

Hope that was understandable...

here is my XPlode.xml

If you use this method check that your switches are OK as some of them need to write to a log file.

XPlode.xml

[hunter]

#SOURCEPATH# works

[BritishBulldog]

did not know that, all my hard work for nothing.

stil i am learning

[CorbenDallas]

What does #sourcepath# do then? Could someone explain to a newb?

BTW, maybe somone can explain what the difference is between % and #.

Sometimes when I look at Xplode.xml I see %systemdrive% and sometimes #systemdrive#. Does both work?

[BritishBulldog]

#sourcepath# is the CDROM drive letter.

So far as i see there is no real difference between % abd # although some variables work better with the # in XPLode, i only use the # now

[Wraith]

# was added because certain variables (%XPLODE%, %SOURCEPATH%) are handled by the commandline, rather than XPLode, depending on how you call them.

On the command line, these would be set to a blank string, so it screws s*** up.

Using # works fine there....

In the XML, both are interchangeable.